Nico Hulkenberg Q&A: Belgian Grand Prix

The final round before the summer shutdown brings MoneyGram Haas F1 Team to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix. How prepared were you for your first experience of Spa in a Formula 1 car – what was it like, and as a seasoned driver now – how do you refine your approach to the circuit?

“I think I was prepared because it’s usually in September and you’ve done a good chunk of the calendar by then, so when I was a rookie in 2010 it wasn’t one of my first races. Spa is one of the big, iconic tracks with a great layout which is embedded in nature, with all the great elevation changes. It has a nice flow, like a rollercoaster feeling, and personally I enjoy it a lot there. This year, for the first time, it’s before the summer break rather than after, so we’ll see how that changes things in terms of weather conditions.”

On top of it already being one of the hardest tracks on the calendar to master, the Belgian Grand Prix becomes a Sprint event this season. How much can you prepare before the VF-23 leaves the garage for the first time and what’s the most important item on your to-do list from the single practice on offer on Friday morning?

“It’s true, practice of one hour instead of three is very little time. It’s the same for everyone though and it just makes things trickier and more difficult to be honest, as you have fewer things to try and test. It’s important to have a good starting setup, but otherwise the approach is very much the same. We need to maximize our time, get some quality runs in, and as a driver get confident with the car and get into a happy place as much as you can within an hour.”  

 

During the mandatory 14-day shutdown in August, what are you most looking forward to during the break, and what milestones are you excited for when Formula 1 returns racing at the end of next month?

“I’m looking forward to not having to do these Q&As for a couple of weeks, obviously! A bit of off-time, balanced between holidays, relaxing, chilling and preparing for the second part of the season. Singapore is coming up quite soon, which is one of the most physical races of the year, so a combination of everything.”